THE FOURTH ESTATE:

The news editor at Nine News Queensland has been sacked for failing to follow a directive to run “at least every couple of nights if not more” the story that a high profile victim of crime is standing for the LNP in the looming state election.

The staffer (pictured above) was booed by work colleagues as security showed him the door at Nine’s Mount Cooth-Tha studios last night.

One senior scribe at the station told The Bug on the condition of anonymity: “His dismissal followed the Monday and Tuesday night bulletins that failed utterly to mention that Russell Field had been endorsed as the LNP candidate for the seat of Capalaba held by the Labor Party’s cold and heartless Don Brown”.

“Tuesday’s bulletin would have been the perfect time to run with that news again, as the perfect lead in to a regular A Current Affair segment of youth crime spiralling out of control.

“He could easily have been shown at work in the electorate while giving him and Opposition leader David Crisafulli ample time to get stuck into the Miles Labor government in general and Don Brown in particular.”

The Bug can confirm that the news of the endorsement of Field has dominated Nine News Queensland bulletin this past week.

State politics editor Tim Arvier said this live to camera just last Wednesday: “I can reveal that the high profile victim of crime Russell Field will be the LNP’s candidate for Capalaba in the upcoming election. We first revealed he was putting his hand up three weeks ago.”

Arvier confirmed Field’s nomination would be uncontested at the weekend.

In Saturday’s (August 31) 6pm bulletin, Mia Gover said this: “Nine News can reveal that Russell Field has been officially endorsed at the LNP candidate for Capalaba….”

That news dovetailed beautifully with another story on a community group having to take the youth crime battle into their own hands.

Proving yesterday’s news isn’t at all stale, Nine News Queensland on Sunday September 1 felt the need to announce exclusively Field’s LNP candidacy all over again, banging on at length about how it would shake up Queensland politics.

“A dad grieving the loss of his son, daughter-in-law and unborn grandson has chosen Father’s Day to say he’s running in the state election.

“Russell Field said he made his decision to campaign after his local member claimed youth crime was a media beatup.’

Another newsroom staffer who booed the news director off the studio floor also told The Bug: “Field’s first few days out in the electorate would have been the natural follow-up to the repeated exclusive news items of his candidacy.

“Our former news editor only has himself to blame for his complete failure to continue promoting the amazing work Russell Field has done over time to try – without success, mind – to get this heartless and incompetent government to do something – anything! – to stop youth crime from spiralling out of control the way it is.

“At least Don Brown will now pay a very high price for saying youth crime is a media beat-up even though he wasn’t half wrong seeing youth crime is declining but he was still very silly to say it because Nine News, the LNP and Field can now repeatedly infer that he is heartlessly indifferent to the enormous tragedy that struck the Field family three years ago with those deaths caused by a teenage driver already on bail for other offences.

“The silly prick’s on a hiding to nothing and we really need to keep sticking it to him if we want to get rid of this tired, exhausted and out-of-ideas three-term government.

“Queensland voters would expect nothing less from a professional, balanced news outfit such at Nine News Queensland.”

Want to be alerted immediately a new blog hits Australia’s longest running and most offensive satire site? Simply click on the Follow sign or the link below to be emailed new yarns the moment they are uploaded! The very second we go far too far – and trust us we will – you can then quickly unfollow via the three dots!

Follow The Bug Online on WordPress.com